Type-bar-supporting frame.



J. RABER.

TYPE BAR SUPPORTING FRAME. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1911.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

Mull WRAP" 60.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH RABER, OLE WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, ASSIG'NOR TO EMERSON TYPEWBITERCOMPANY, OF WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TYPE-BAR-SUPPORTING FRAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 24, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH BABER, a citizenof the United States, residing at l/Voodstock, in the county of McHenryand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Type-Bar-Supporting Frames, of which the following is aspecification.

The frame of the present invention is adapted to serve as the supportand mounting for the bank or banks of type bars upon which are mountedthe type .of a typewriting machine.

One of the objects of the present invention is to so construct the framethat when the type bars are mounted thereon any individual bar of theset of bars can be removed from the frame without the necessity of re.-moving or disturbing any of the remaining bars. I

Another object of the invention is to provide acone-shaped groove in oneof the rails of the supporting frame, which will receive a cone-shapedmember on the type bar, thus providing'a mounting for the type barwithin the frame, whereby, when the wearing of the parts takes place,the bars can be readjusted so as to regain a firm seat within the frame.And a further object is.to'maintain a firm seat along the top of theframe for the swinging portion of the type bars.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the detaileddescription of the parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the supporting frame ofthe present invention, showlng a portion of the type bars mounted inposition within said frame; Fig. 2, an enlarged plan view of a portionof the upper part of the frame; Fig. 3, an enlarged sectional elevationof a portion of the upper part of the frame, showing the upper portionof one of the type bars in position therein; Fig. 1, an enlarged detailof a portion of the lower part of the frame, showing the lower end ofone of the type bars in position therein; Fig, 5, a section on line 5-5of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 6, a detailshowing a plan view of a portion of the upper rail, and showing one ofthe bars in normal position and the next adjacent bar in its acting orswung position.

The frame of the present invention comprises outer vertically extendingrails 7 and 8, and inner vertically extending rails 9 and 10. As shownin Fig. 1, the inner rails 9 and 10 are connected by a plate 11, towhich is secured a centering member 12. The centering member, however,is not a portion of the present invention, and it is understood thatthis feature may be entirely eliminated, or other features substitutedtherefor, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Secured to the parts 9 and 7 and to the parts 10 and 8, or cast integraltherewith, are horizontally extending rails 13 and 1 1 which comprisewhat is hereinafter termed a lower rail of the frame. Each of the rails13 and 14 is traversed longitudinally by a plurality of grooves 15adapted to receive the lower ends 16 of the type bars 17. The lower endsare maintained in place within the grooves 15 by means of a plate 17which overlies the bars and extends along the outer faces of the rails13 and 14 and is secured thereto by screws 18, or other suitablefastening means.

Secured to the rails 7 and 9 and to the rails 10 and 8 are upper rails19 and 20. The upper rails, as shown more clearly in Fig. 1, extend fromthe central vertical rails to the outer vertical rails with a downwardlyextending slope. Each of the rails 19 and 20 are traversed verticallywith a plurality of grooves 21, each of which grooves terminates in anenlarged conical upper end 22; and each of the grooves, as shown in Fig.2, is of 'a greater than semi-cylindrical depth. As shown more clearlyin Fig. 1, the upper termini of the grooves 21 are stepped with respectto one another in a direction extending from the center of the framedownwardly toward the outer ends of the frame,.and one wall of eachgroove 21 is projected beyond the terminus of said groove to form avertically extending shoulder 23. The shoulder, however, as shown moreclearly in Fig. 3, is not a direct continuation of the wall of thetapered end 22, but is offset therefrom so as to form a horizontallyextending shoulder 24: between the terminus of the groove and the lowerend of the shoulder 23.

Each of the type bars is provided at a suitable point upon its lengthwith a conical enlargement 25 adapted to seat itself within the conicalend 12 of one of the grooves V placed. This is because of the'ste-ppedformation of the terminus of the slots 21. As shown in Fig. 6, when thetype barsare swung, it tends to bring them into acting position; that isto say, to carrythe type mounted thereon into position to engage theribbon and perform the printing operation. The end 27 of the type swungwill be clear of the end of the bar adjacent and directly below theswung bar. Hence, if the bar adjacent the one shown in swung positionshould have to be removed from the frame, it could be readily slippedout therefrom, since the overlying portion of the bar neXt adjacent andabove thereto has been thrown out of the way.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the lower ends of the type bars are providedwith split collars 28, and into the ends of the bars are inserted screws29. This split formation is for the purpose of allowing the collar andscrew to swing together so that no loosening of the screw will resultfrom the swinging of the bar. The collars and screws cooperate toprevent vertical movement of the bars within the frame during theiroperation. If, however, it becomes necessary to remove one of the bars,the bar above and adjacent thereto is swung into the position shown inFig. 6, and the collar and screw removed from thelower end of the barwhich is to be removed. A coiled spring 30 is then unfastened and thebar slid upwardly, and thence pulled outwardly to remove it from thesupporting frame. The spring 30- above referred to is for the purpose ofreturning the bar to normal position. This method of removal is madepossible because of the fact that the grooves 21 are all open; that isto say, there is no supporting plate 011 the upper rail similar to theplate 14 on the lower rail. This plate is eliminated because of theformation of the grooves 21, which, as heretofore stated, are of agreater than semicylindrical depth; and furthermore, the entire strainof movement during operation is toward the front of the supportingframe,

the type bars being checked in their return movement by a stop member31, shown in Fig. 1. Obviously, the forward. strain of the bars isagainst the end wall 32 of the slots; hence, said wall furnishes asubstantial andlfirm bearing for the bars during their movement; and thegrooves 21, being of greater than semi-cylindrical depth, pre-.

vent the slippage of the bars out .therefrom past their center by reasonof any unusual jolt or strain placed thereon. a

In the operation of these type bars, it is,

ously it can be readily compensated for by simply adjusting the bar soas to lower it slightly with respect to the frame, the tapering walls ofthe groove and the tapering portions of the type bars permit-ting saidbars to center themselves at any point to which they may be adjusted andobtain a firm bearing within the grooves after such adjustment has beenmade. Were these walls unangled, no such adjustment could be performed,and after the parts had become worn, a rattling would take place'durmgtheir action, owing to the poor contact between the type bar and thewalls of the groove.

As shown in Fig. 3, a portion 26 of each of the type bars travels acrossthe upper face of the upper rails. The wearing of this face will bepractically identical with the wearing of the conical portion of thetype bar; hence an adjustment to compensate for the wearing of one willbring the other into firm engagement with its seat and thus the entiredevice will be accurately and rigidly centered.

The provision of the horizontally extending shoulder 24 permits theportion 31 of the type bar to extend beyond the conical portion of thetype bar and rest on said shoulder 24. A mounting is therefore providedfor the portion 26 of the type bar to permit it to have a bearing ateither side of the conical groove.

It is, of course, understood that the particular formation of the typebar or the particular style of type mounted upon the bar is not deemedto be a portion of the present invention, except for those portionsheretofore described, which enter into the operation of the mounting ofthe type bar and into the construction of the same, so that it may bereadily removed.

I claim:

1. In a typewriter, the combination of a supporting frame for type barscomprising upper and lower rails, means for pivotally mounting the lowerends of the type bars within the lower rail, and seats for the bars inthe upper rail consisting of a series of open grooves-of a greater depththan the radius of the bars, whereby the bars lie in unlocked conditionwithin said upper rail,

substantially as described. 7

d 2. In a typewriter, the combination of a supporting frame for typebars comprising upper and lower rails, means for pivotally mounting thelower ends of the type bars within the lower rail, the upper rail beingprovided with open tapered grooves, each type bar having a taperedportion thereon adapted to seat within the tapered groove, said groovebeing of a greater depth than the radius of the bars, whereby the barslie in unlocked condition within said upper rail, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a typewriter, the combination of a supporting frame for type barscomprising upper and lower rails, means for pivotally mounting thelowerends of the type bars within the lower rail, the upper rail beingprovided with a series of open grooves of a greater depth than theradius of the bars, whereby said bars lie in unlocked condition withinsaid upper rail, each groove terminating in an enlarged tapered portion,each type bar havinga tapered portion adapted to seat within the taperedportion of the groove, substantially as described.

4. In a typewriter, the combination of a supporting frame for type barscomprising upper and lower rails, means for pivotally mounting the lowerends of the bars within the lower rail, seats for the bars in the upperrail consisting ofaseries of open grooves of a greater depth than theradius of the bars, whereby said bars lie in unlocked condition withinsaid upper rail, the upper termini of the grooves being in steppedrelation from the center toward the outer ends of the frame,substantially as described.

5. In a typewriter, the combination of a supporting frame for type barscomprising upper and'lower rails, means for pivotally mounting the lowerends of the type bars within the lower rail, the upper rail beingprovided with tapered groovesof greater depth than the radius of saidbars, each bar having a tapered portion thereon adapted to seat withinthe tapered portion of the groove, the upper termini of the groovesbeingin stepped relation from the center toward the outer ends of theframe, said bars lying within said upper rail in unlocked condition,substantially as described.

JOSEPH RABER. Witnesses:

FRANK WILDER, W. F. CONWAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

